With over a million apps each on the Apple App Store and on Google Play, marketing one’s app must be tough business for any developer. With the multitude of copycat apps that essentially have similar functionalities, app developers will be lucky to have their offerings included in top and featured lists, whether in terms of downloads, ratings, reviews or revenues. How does one reach the tipping point, in which great traction — and organic revenue potential — will shortly come thereafter?

It seems developers are finding ways to game the system, in what can be considered shady practices or at least grey areas in building up the profile of one’s app. In a recent tweet, Hong Kong-based TapCase developer Simon Pang shares what appears to be a lady doing ratings and reviews on an array of tablets. Pang writes how “this is how App Store ratings work.”

This is how App Store ratings work. Welcome to the reality. pic.twitter.com/0MyHmTeqwE

— simonpang (@simonpang) February 2, 2015

Barry Mead of Fireproof Games tweets that “‘respected’ major developers use systems like these daily.”

This being Twitter, of course, there is no verification yet as to the original source of the image, and whether the photographed activity is, indeed, a pay-to-review or pay-to-rate service. However, it has shed some light into such practices that skew app store ratings, popularity, downloads and eventually revenues for these developers.

Wall Street Journal‘s Lisa Fleisher plans to dig deeper into the issue. But without prejudice to Fleisher’s journalistic work, we can already arrive at several questions and critiques with respect to how major app ecosystems are run.

Is it against policy? What is being done?

One might wonder whether Apple is aware of how developers are gaming its app discovery system. It’s reminiscent of how developers will jack up their app prices from $0.99 to $999 (the maximum that the App Store supports), and then having someone buy a copy of the app. Even as Apple gets a 30% share of the money, the app then gets a boost on the top paid apps list, after which the developer can revert the price back to $0.99. In essence, moneyed developers can shell out cash and then lose 30% of this value, but then get a potentially more popular (and revenue generating) application in return.

If pay-to-review farms are mass-producing ratings and reviews in exchange for pay, then it’s grossly unfair to developers who rely on organic reviews and ratings by actual users. Ratings affect discoverability and revenue potential. Developers can easily recoup their investment once they start getting millions of daily downloads.

Apple’s developer terms of service says this: “If you attempt to cheat the system (for example, by trying to trick the review process, steal data from users, copy another developer’s work, or manipulate the ratings) your Apps will be removed from the store and you will be expelled from the developer program.”

Google Play also has this to say in its developer program policies: “Developers must not attempt to change the placement of any Product in the Store, or manipulate any product ratings or reviews by unauthorized means such as fraudulent installs, paid or fake reviews or ratings, or by offering incentives to rate products.”

But “tricking the review process” and “manipulating the ratings” are quite broad terminology. Does it specifically ban paying someone to do manual reviews? Or does it only ban bots? Does it have a geographic dimension? And what does Apple do to apps that employed such practices, but then gained legitimate and organic ratings, reviews and downloads later on?

At least Google’s terminology explicitly calls out paid and fake reviews and ratings. The question is whether the app store ecosystems are actually doing concrete steps in going after violators.

Gaming and economics

This reminds me of the way people have gamed the big systems before. To wit:

• In the heyday of pay-per-click advertising, clickfraud was a big deal. But it did not prevent publishers from hiring third parties to do manual clicking to jack up revenue — or sometimes even to kill off competitors’ campaigns or screw with their ad budgets.
• Content farms used to be a popular way to earn millions. These companies paid measly cents for writers to churn out rehashed, SEO-friendly, but questionable quality articles, and then earn from the ad placements. This was a viable business model until Google pulled the plug with various search algorithm updates that ended up hurting both content farms and valid publications.
• While trading virtual goods with real money may be against the policies of most games, it has not stopped companies from doing “gold farming” activities — something that has implications not only within the dynamics of MMORPGs, but also development economics, as well (e.g., buyers tend to be from developed countries, while players who play to sell items come from emerging economies).
• Today, viral sites have the habit of ripping off content from other sources (in which the originating source is rarely credited), adding clickbait headlines for the benefit of social sharing, and earning from advertisements. Facebook has recently attempted to curtail these practices through algorithm changes, but viral junk still remains in our newsfeeds.

The common denominator among these examples is money. Where there is potential money involved, then people will tend to find ways to game the system for their economic advantage. Never mind user experience, content quality or business ethics.

Given that “respected major developers” are said to be doing this, can we still trust app store ratings and discovery mechanisms?

Feature image credit: Bloomua / Shutterstock.com

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In less than a decade, Android has pivoted from a scrappy startup of an OS ecosystem to a global behemoth with over a billion devices activated.

A new report from consultancy Strategy Analytics says that Android broke the 1 billion device barrier in 2014, up from 780 million in 2013. In comparison, Apple (NASDAQ:APPL) only shipped 192.7 million iOS based devices worldwide in 2014.

Breaking down the numbers from Strategy Analytics, it becomes clear that Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) has the advantage because it ships on more devices at more price points. As such, Google can depend on emerging markets for growth — something that Strategy Analytics points out in its report.

“Emerging markets, such as China and Indonesia, drove the industry’s growth last year and will continue to do so through 2015,” the report said.

In the shadow of the virtual Apple-Android duopoly in the market is Windows Phone, with a mere 3.3% market share. Strategy Analytics believes that the failure for the platform to grow comes from the lack of robust hardware partners that are aligned with the OS.

The post 1 Billion Strong: Android Breaks Records in 2014 appeared first on VR World.

For over 25 years ResMed has been providing medical equipment for sleep-disorder breathing. They are clearly not a johnny-come-lately, jumping on the latest hi-tech bandwagon. This fall ResMed introduced the S+, a no-contact sleep tracking device developed for the consumer.  This differs greatly from wearables such as the Basis Peak and the Jawbone UP systems that promise to track sleep as well as steps, calories, and activity.

The ResMed S+ uses a combination of respiratory and biomotion sensors that not only monitor your motion and breathing while you sleep, but the temperature, light and noise in your bedroom as well. In addition to the biomotion sensor device, ResMed S+ has a smartphone app for iOS or Android. The application connects to the ResMed proprietary cloud and your nightly data is compared to hundreds of thousands of recorded nights of sleep from their other medical prescription respiratory devices. The app makes suggestions for a better night’s sleep based on the data it collects.

Getting a good night’s sleep is something all of us need and want. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 60 percent of people report they have problems sleeping almost every night. Continual sleep problems can lead to next-day drowsiness and increases in health related issues like congestive heart failure, obesity, and diabetes. Many people suffer from sleep apnea which is when you stop breathing during the night. Such individuals, usually, wake up with a snort for air, which disrupts a good night’s sleep. As you might guess, sleep apnea can be fatal. Do you have sleep apnea? Take the quiz provided by ResMed.

Now that you understand the importance of the information provided by ResMed S+, let’s take a look at what you get in the ResMed box for $149.95.

The post ResMed S+: High Tech Help for Good Night’s Sleep appeared first on VR World.

Hiku scans, records, categorizes, locates, and marks your favorite items to make shopping a no-brainer. The handheld device scans bar codes on your favorite and incidental items. The item is then listed on a shopping list on your smartphone ready to take to the store.

You can assign an item to any number of user-named lists – Safeway, Petsmart, RiteAid, GNC, and so forth. Head for the store, display your shopping list on your phone and proceed down the aisles. In this review, I’ll show you with pictures how easy it was to install,  learn, and use. I’ll also tell you what I did and didn’t like about Hiku.

You’ll need either an iOS or Android smartphone to download the free Hiku app. I tested the Android version as soon as it was released. The beta packaging still only refers to the original iOS version though.

You can buy the related scanning device direct from Hiku. The same device works with both iOS 6.0+ and Android 4.0+ since it sends the scanned information to a neutral cloud. The device contains a 1D linear scanner, a microphone, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery.

Inside the box you’ll find the device, a micro USB cable for charging the battery, and a tiny three-fold 3”x3” Start Up Guide.

Hiku seems like an odd name for an application that creates a grocery list. When I questioned Matt Beebe, head of product and design, he explained: “The name Hiku comes from the Japanese short-form poetry, meant to be said in a single breath. When done well, a haiku communicates meaning in its simplest form, and is beautiful. That captures the ethos of our brand: to bring simplicity and beauty to people’s lives.”

The product’s instructions themselves are simplicity personified. They start by telling you to download the application from the Apple App Store < https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hiku-mobile/id721935991?ls=1&mt=8 > and follow the on-screen instructions to connect Hiku to your Wi-Fi. It needs to be a 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi network. Because I was beta testing the Android version, I went instead to Google Play  for a copy of the software. The product’s documentation obviously needs to be updated to include the new version. When you search for Hiku on either site be careful of what you choose.

A search for Hiku on iTunes and Google Play displays several misleading, but interesting, choices.

One choice might include the following Haiku poem by the 17^th century Japanese master Matsuo Basho: < http://poemhunter.com/matsuo-basho/ >

A field of cotton –
as if the moon
had flowered.

Take a moment to mentally contemplate the image … Now let’s continue with our study of a more mundane topic: grocery shopping.

INSTALLING HIKU

Installation of the Hiku app on an HTC was easy and automatic. You are asked for your Wi-Fi connection.

You are told when to sync your device to the application by placing the device on the phone’s display.

Make note of the warning that accompanies the placement. It is no B.S. The bright pulsating action that takes place during the synchronization is intense.

You’ll be rewarded with a message of success that displays on the phone below the device.

The process creates an icon on the phone’s home panel.

The Hiku icon appears here in the lower right corner of the phone’s display.

To sign onto Hiku, you’ll need yet another password to keep track of. They do have a way of assisting you if you forget it. After you have started a shopping list, you can share that list because it is stored in the cloud not on your phone. You could send your mate to the store and they could access the list by signing in to their own smartphone with the same email address and password you created during set up.

 USING HIKU

The device itself is made of a study, water resistant, shell designed to resist damage to both exterior and interior even when dropped. It is fitted with a magnet that attaches tightly to your refrigerator and is covered by a soft silicon rubber that keeps it from scratching the appliance. The activating button on the opposite side is of brushed aluminum. A recessed window protected with a rubber framing is what you point towards the bar code for scanning to take place. You also can set the device on this end on a flat surface.

Hiku adheres securely within easy reach on the refrigerator door.

The same device can be used with either an iOS or Android phone. The downloaded app on your phone talks to the cloud to retrieve your stored information. Hiku has an established and growing data base of 17 million bar codes that it draws upon.

The same device can be used with either an iOS or Android phone.

With the oval Hiku device in hand, I began scanning a variety of items and checking how they showed up on the phone.

Most familiar items were quickly categorized by the program.

When you select to display Details, you are able to edit the information. You can change the name in your list that was associated with the bar code, assign the item to another aisle, and enter the quantity you want to purchase. You can mark common items as “Regulars”.

I scanned a variety of shapes and conditions. Flat cardboard boxes of course do well. Yet, I had no problem with the bar codes being recognized on round cans, moist milk cartons, wrinkled labels, irregular tubes, or cellophane covered containers.

Hiku read bar codes of various and sundry shapes and conditions.

Hiku has three audible signals which translate into: It’s Added. Bar Code Not Recognized. Voice Not Recognized. One item Hiku didn’t recognize was a bottle of Port wine. I guess it doesn’t read Portuguese codes. However, referring to the paper Start Guide that came in the box, I found the solution.

Afer I scanned the bottle again, I immediately pushed the silver button, aimed the scanner at my mouth and said “Porto Morgado” using my best accent. Bingo. Hiku can even spell. There it was on the No Aisle category along with the Epson ink cartridge that the system didn’t know what to do with either. Hiku even spelled the brand name correctly from my verbal input.

I assigned my after dinner drink to the Beer/Wine/Liquor aisle.  Now that Hiku has my Port in its data base anyone can access the information immediately because I “taught” Hiku the bar code.

Porto Morgado has been added not only to my shopping list, but to Hiku’s data base for everyone’s benefit.

Alphabetical aisles come already defined, such as Baking/Spices, Dairy, Grains/Pasta, Meats, Produce. You can add a new aisle which I could have done for the ink, but I decided School/Office Supplies would suffice. I also could create a separate Shopping List for, say, Staples, and assign the Epson ink to that list instead to my general Grocery List.

PROS and CONS

To get started, you can name a list, go to that store, walk the aisles scanning bar codes from your common purchases to quickly set up a thorough list in the order in which you will find them in the store.

As you learn how to use Hiku, if you can’t figure something out, you can tap My Hiku and display links to the site’s FAQ’s or send an email to support@hiku.us. For example, although Hiku has an almost flat, easy learning curve, I didn’t intuit how to remove an item completely. I could “Cross It Off” by swiping it, but to get it off that list the FAQ that displayed on my phone told me I needed to hit the Clear button. I could not locate a Clear button, so I will contact Support for a more specific direction or graphic.

The My Hiku also has Tips, which are a reiteration of the compact Start Up Guide, so help is always a tap away on your phone. It is in place to allow language selection for voice recognition with three forms of English, two forms of Spanish, German, French, and Italian. The product currently supports English only. The other choices will be an enhancement.

Finally, the company responds to problems as evidenced by this notation on their website about their first version. “We’ve identified an issue in the hiku mobile app version 1.0 where new item refresh fails for AT&T customers under certain conditions. The issue is now fixed, available in the App Store as version 1.1. You can download it.”

CONCLUSION

This compact, patent pending, shopping assistant could be called a gadget according to Merriam Webster which says: “Gadget: an often small mechanical or electronic device with a practical use but often thought of as a novelty.”

Hiku is something that is new and unusual, as well as practical. Introduced at San Francisco’s Pepcom in November, Hiku saves the user time, provides organization to an often chaotic procedure, and is easy to use. Instead of scurrying from aisle to aisle, backtracking to the canned vegetable aisle because you forgot to get lima beans when there, you can methodically move up one aisle and down the next, checking items off your list.

I did not find a way, however, to mark that I had put the item in my shopping cart. So for now, you’ll need to remember what you selected and what you still need to pick off a shelf and place in your basket. It’s time to request an enhancement.

I was told that another enhancement I wanted had been requested by other users as well: printing. If your neighbor offers to pick up a few things for you when they go to the store, you’d probably prefer to give them a printed list instead of access to your Hiku account.

This scanner is also perfect for someone who has difficulty writing, perhaps due to severe arthritis. Scanning or speech can take the place of painful attempts at maneuvering a pencil.

Hiku is priced at $79, but I think $50 would be a better price if you weren’t sure you’d really use it once you had it. Also, if you were just counting dollars, a smaller price in today’s economy might be more enticing. However, it depends on how you value your time. This device is definitely a time saver, and “time is money”.

Founders Rob Katcher, CEO, and Rajan Bala, VP Engineering, urge you to “Get the App”.

This app is a must for the busy person who has a deadline and an empty refrigerator that needs filling. No fumbling for a list, no forgetting the one special thing you went to the store for. It’s a convenience for every single mom with limited time, any bachelor who hates to shop, and every person who has a large family and a long, varied shopping list.

Hiku is seeking retail partners 9bizdev@hiku.us) and developers (devrel@hiku.us) to pair their product with Hiku. You should contact them on their career page if you are an experienced mobile software engineer or a data scientist looking for a job.

The post Hiku: Add it to Your Shopping Cart appeared first on VR World.

Whether the company name was intentional or not, EHang paints a picture of what its product does. China-based EHang creates unmanned aerial vehicles that hang in the air taking video or photos of what’s below. Ghost, one of the company’s drones, is an Indiegogo crowd funding success story. The company has far surpassed its original goal of $100,000 by raising $596,702 with 26 days to go.

Ghost landing gear sets the drone down gently.

Ghost does not require a cumbersome RC controller. You guide it with your iOS or Android smartphone and a small G-Box with 2.4GHz 80mw standard Bluetooth communicator. Auto Mode points the drone head first towards its destination and allows you to concentrate on the visuals you want to capture instead of worrying about piloting. You’ll want to use the micro control mode to pinpoint a specific location by simply sliding it in the direction you want to drone to go. It can get there tail first if necessary.

A simple finger tap points your drone to its destination.

GoPro equipment is compatible with Ghost including the Hero 4 and is assisted by the 2D gimbal which keeps your shots stable. Flying at night is possible due to Night Mode with LED lights to visually keep track of its position. Ghost is wind resistant to 21 knots and waterproof so weather won’t ground the aerial vehicle. If anything goes awry, Ghost incorporates automatic return if the connection is lost.

You can still get in on the Indiegogo Ghost project. Support starts with a $5 fan club contribution and goes to $49,000 with a list of perks in between including a $355 DIY kit that includes parts for you to assembly the Ghost yourself. Cyber Monday offered the following:

g

The campaign started November 10, 2014 and will close on January 9, 2015 at the end of CES. The company will be exhibiting in the Las Vegas Convention Center, LVCC South Hall 2. BSN* will be able to provide our readers with a hands-on opinion of this and other unmanned systems after the show. In the meantime, you can tell EHang what you want them to do to improve on their Ghost with the cash they have raised beyond their original goal. Vote at their survey site.  One option is to expand the white ghostly finish to other colors. Maybe one of these? Or ask for your favorite color – neon orange perhaps?

In addition to Ghost for recreational use, EHang also develops the larger Skyway for commercial use. The Chinese company also has offices in San Carlos, California.

The post Indiegogo Drone Project Raises Half A Million Dollars appeared first on VR World.

International Data Corp’s (IDC) latest mobile phone forecast said that worldwide smartphone shipments will reach a total of nearly 1.3 billion units in 2014, representing an increase of 26.3% over 2013.

IDC, meanwhile, expects 1.4 billion smartphones to be shipped worldwide in 2015 for a 12.2% year-over-year growth rate. Slower annual growth continues throughout the forecast with unit shipments approaching 1.9 billion units in 2018, resulting in a 9.8% compound annual growth rate for the forecast period between 2014 and 2018.

Melissa Chau, senior research manager with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, said that the impact of upstart Chinese players in the global market will be reflected in a race to the bottom when it comes to price.

“While premium phones are not going anywhere, we are seeing increasingly better specs in more affordable smartphones,” she said. “Consumers no longer have to go with a top-of-the-line handset to guarantee decent hardware quality or experience. The bigger question now is how much lower can prices go?”

IDC’s report said that on a worldwide basis, smartphones are expected to have an average selling price of $297 worldwide in 2014, and it will drop to US$241 by 2018. Emerging markets, such as India, will see much lower smartphone prices around $135 each but will fall to US$102 by 2018. The report said, however, the prices in mature markets are not expected to change significantly and modestly higher shipment volumes will not drive up overall revenues as each generation of flagship phones shows less and less differentiation from its predecessors.

IDC said that Android devices will continue to drive shipment volumes from an operating system perspective, while iOS devices drive revenues. By 2018, Android will control 80% of global smartphones shipped and 61% of revenues, while iOS will control only 13% of volumes and 34% of revenues. With Android volumes so dominant, IDC said, it is no longer a possibility for new operating systems like Tizen and Firefox to compete on price alone.

“As shipment volume slows, we expect greater attention to shift toward value trends,” said Ramon Llamas, research manager with IDC’s Mobile Phones team. He said that Apple’s approach with premium pricing ensures a growing portion of overall revenues despite its declining market share. Meanwhile, Android’s multi-faceted approach, with forked versions and low-cost Android One strategy, will produce mixed results, yet it allows deeper penetration into merging markets.

“That can lead to additional pressure on its vendor partners, who will need to seek greater differentiation in terms of devices and experiences in the hyper-competitive smartphone market,” Llamas said.

The post Worldwide Smartphone Growth Forecast Cools Down as Prices Drop and Markets Mature: IDC appeared first on VR World.

Firefox fans will soon be able to use their favorite browser on iOS, if a report holds true.

According to TechCrunch , Mozilla’s Jonathan Nightingale, the company’s VP of Firefox, said at a closed-door meeting that his organization plans to “be where are users our” and develop the browser for Apple’s OS.

“So we’re going to get Firefox on iOS,” he said.

Nightingale later tweeted out his comments which appears to confirm the report.

When Apple (NASDAQ: APPL) famously opened iOS to browser choice a few years ago, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) was quick to port over its Chrome browser. Mozilla’s Firefox was the odd man out as Apple did not allow developers to use third-party browser engines, which is something that Mozilla did not agree with.

We need to be where our users are so we’re going to get Firefox on iOS #mozlandia

— Lukas Blakk (@lsblakk) December 2, 2014

Apple insists that third-party browsers use Apple’s JavaScript and rendering engines. Opera bypasses both of these requirements by rendering the webpage on a server before sending it back to the device.

If Mozilla insists on using its own engine and backend, it’s not likely that Apple will allow Firefox on iOS without an uncharacteristic caveat. It’s up to Mozilla to drop these requirements, or for Apple to change its requirements.

The post Firefox to Make Its Way to iOS? appeared first on VR World.

Keromin and Ko-Keromin (Little Keromin) may be foreign to people outside the Land of the Rising Sun, but this cute Japanese toy is actually somewhat popular in the country, with its adorable charm enthralling many to enjoy its melodic talents.

Today, Troche announces the end-year release of the latest version of Ko-Keromin, the Ko-Keromin Lime 3, which features a significant upgrade in its ‘singing’ database. The new Ko-Keromin now has a total of 50 different sounds and syllables, allowing the harmonic frog toy to sing more tunes, play more songs, and apparently, speak in a clearer manner that exceeds its Soramimi (blabber) mode. When hooked to its iKeromin iOS app, users will be able provide it with upgraded speech functions, and any user can now simply plug Ko-Keromin to an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, to transform it into a froggie voice synthesizer (in Japanese of course).

By default, Keromin is already programmed to speak short syllables and letter combinations, which its Soramimi mode uses to generate random sounds that seem like it’s trying to speak. With a wider syllable range however, whole words and phrases can now be spoken. The new Ko-Keromin can now be used much like how Vocaloid programs are used as makeshift speech synthesizers. The iKeromin app makes the process even easier, more convenient, and almost instantaneous. One thing though, we don’t think pressing buttons on a capacitive screen count as ventriloquism.

Of course, much like all the other Keromin toys that preceded it, the new Ko-Keromin Lime 3 can also be used in tandem with the iOS app to extend its singing functions. It can still play other instruments, and the added drum function is still there. The modified ‘frog talk’ functions are all still there for its users to enjoy.

Ko-Keromin Lime 3 will be available in Japan on December 26, with an equivalent price of $86.00. The latest version of the iKeromin app is free to download at the App Store.

The post Freaky Japanese Toy Froggie Can Now Sing appeared first on VR World.

In a video titled, The Art of the Sizzle w/ David Bruce, HTC (TPE: 2498) satirically mocks the entire concept of the sizzle video that is designed to make you excited and intrigued by a simple video of a smartphone. There’s no doubt that HTC has participated in some of these sizzle videos, but the reality is that their competitors, namely Samsung, Nokia (now Microsoft), and Apple have really gotten the smartphone sizzle video down.

In fact, if you watch most smartphone introductions nowadays, you are almost guaranteed to watch some sort of a sizzle video in advance. Some companies like to focus on abstract angles and unique system features, while others simply try to make the phone look exciting by doing interesting motions and graphics alongside. A good example of this is Apple’s own iPhone 6 sizzle video. If that doesn’t give you a good idea of what’s in a smartphone sizzle video, then you can watch Samsung’s own Galaxy S5 introduction video.

The truth is that its actually quite hard to get a bunch of press and operators excited about a phone, especially since most phones nowadays are essentially the same phone with incremental upgrades and very little real innovation from one model to another. After all, it isn’t very profitable to be making major technological improvements from generation to generation. So, you need to focus on the exciting parts of the phone and accentuate them with the sizzle reel that gets people excited about your phone and gets their attention in preparation for the actual launch or actual unveiling in person or when people see them in stores.

Apple are the masters of these videos and I suspect that HTC is mostly mocking them with this video, however Samsung likes to do a lot of the same things that Apple does so it isn’t much of a stretch to consider Samsung part of this fad.

The post HTC Brilliantly Mocks the Smartphone Sizzle Video appeared first on VR World.

Canon Marketing Japan (FRA:CNJ) may have something of a promotional tool in its hands, as the company introduces Perstext, a new iOS app that would make photo letter editing as simple as a fingersnap.

Much like any other editing program option, Perstext gives users the opportunity to edit text onto photos, allowing for easy background blending of the edited characters and phrases. Sure, it may not be the first photo editing app on a tablet, but the catch here is its sheer convenience. Superimposing text onto the images is as simple as dragging text to the desired area, kind of like MS Paint, but with a more professional look.

To use the app, input the text you want to display, and then trace a line where it should be placed. By selecting certain points on the image, the app would automatically adjust the words to form a perspective view that is in line with the surface you pointed.  The user can then apply different effects to make the words appear in different forms, shapes, and designs.

So, with Perstext, you can edit the images to look like some advertising poster, or some teaser announcement. With seemingly Photoshop-level editing, the text can even look as if it’s physically there. The text can appear as if it is painted on a wall, or existing as a three-dimensional object. It would literally be bringing words to the world, in yet another way.

In addition to the main editing app, Perstext also features 10 additional text fonts, along with other editing options, if you want more designs for your superimposed text. It comes at a small additional cost however, and that’s for each and every extra option that you plan to use.

Using the app by default should be fine however, and if you’re interested to know how Perstext works, it is currently available for free in the App Store for download.

The post Canon’s Perstext Brings Words to your World appeared first on VR World.

At Pepcom – San Francisco 2014 we met with the staff of Ring, a video doorbell company that offers home security in a unique way.

Ring Video Doorbell at Pepcom-SF

Originally known as Doorbot, they had a successful crowdfunding campaign raising $250,000 and created a first-generation product by fall 2013. Doorbot decided to change their name to Ring (a privately held company) and redesigned their hardware for the home security market. Ring’s brochure says they have wide angled HD video, smart motion detection, and cloud recording.

Ring founder and CEO Jamie Siminoff said to Techcrunch that Doorbot’s first-generation hardware had shortcomings and was a good learning experience. Siminoff said, “With the Ring doorbell, early on when we were designing it, we decided what we were really doing was designing the alarm system literally turned inside out. Not an alarm system that copied what ADT is doing, what Canary is doing, or even what Dropcam was doing with its window and door systems, but actually building some kind of pre-crime system.”

Lowe’s Big Box DIY (do it yourself) home improvement store recently did a study on Smart Home interest among 2,000 randomly chosen respondents. They found security was at the top of the list.

Next in their survey finding was fifty percent of respondents wanted a DIY solution and not paying a monthly fee to an alarm company.

Thus Ring’s assumptions are right on target for what most home owners want – security- and that they want to install it themselves.

Ring’s motion detector sensor hardware and algorithms are able to detect both near and far movement, during day time or at night.

Ring alerts users to motion as soon as it’s detected

Often criminals ring the doorbell before they try to break into a house. When someone presses the Ring video doorbell, the user can have a near instant look at who is out there. With a smartphone and the Ring app you have two-way communication like a phone call and that makes it easier to talk with whoever is at the door. Wide-angle video is also recorded to the cloud in HD resolution.

Who is that at the door?

Ring’s installation is a simple three steps:
1. Download the free Ring app (iOS and Android)
2. Connect the doorbell to your WiFi network (using the app)
3. Mount the doorbell

The unit specifications are below:

Ring’s Video Doorbell is priced at $249 and begins shipping this week. It comes in four different finishes, and free cloud-based video recording until January 1, 2015, at which time subscription options will be available. The device can record 720p video at 30fps, has infrared LEDs for nighttime recording and features a 5,200mAh rechargeable battery – The unit doesn’t require electric power, but you have to charge the battery – for sure before going on vacation.

BSN* has requested an evaluation unit for testing to confirm that it works as well as the demo we saw at Pepcom- SF 2014.

The post One Ring and You’re on Candid Camera at Pepcom SF appeared first on VR World.

A Thai startup called Drivebot has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for its automotive diagnostic tool that interfaces directly with smartphones. Drivebot promises a stress-free driving and car maintenance experience, with smartphone alerts for engine problems, fuel efficiency tips and live monitoring from the car’s sensors.

For most people, driving just involves going from point A to point B, and not everyone is adept at actually looking under the hood to diagnose problems. Fortunately for motorists, virtually all new cars today come with On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II), designed to output code to computers for monitoring and troubleshooting. Unfortunately, however, this requires a separate tool. This is why the “Check Engine Light” on the dashboard is called the “idiot light.” It shows there is an issue, but you don’t really know what it is.

In most cases, diagnostic tools only output a code that a trained mechanic will then have to interpret. Hence, even with cheap Bluetooth-enabled OBD tools that interface with smartphones, the best you can get are error codes or one-time reports.

Drivebot is like “Fitbit for cars” — it shows live monitoring of statistics and diagnostics, to ensure worry-free driving.

Drivebot promises to change this through its plug-in dongle, compatible with OBD-capable cars (which means anything from the mid-1990s). Drivebot interfaces with iOS an Android smartphones and will provide live monitoring of the various components managed by OBD, including fuel consumption, engine compression, transmission, air conditioning, braking system, and more. Going beyond simply alerting users for problems as the happen, Drivebot will alert drivers for potential upcoming issues and for regular maintenance checks.

The app also analyzes the user’s driving habits and will give tips to improve fuel efficiency. According to the creators, it will even offer alternate routes to prevent fuel wastage during heavy traffic.

Drivebot has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo earlier this week, targeting $35,000 to further develop the prototype and put the product out to market. $75 gets you a Drivebot dongle (the $60 early bird promo has run out), while $140 gets a two-pack. Interestingly, Drivebot’s campaign also makes way for entrepreneurs who wish to partner with the company, with a $1,300 “reseller” pack for 20 dongles. The startup plans to retail Drivebot for $150 apiece after the campaign.

As of writing, Drivebot has already received $14,819 or 42% of its goal with 36 days left. According to Atthaphong “Beam” Limsupanark, co-founder and CEO, the company already has a working prototype and is 80% into development of the iOS application. Drivebot was a finalist at the Echelon startup conference held in Thailand, and the startup was taken in by Dtac accelerator, run by the country’s second-largest telecoms provider. The team says it is also getting touch with garages and dealerships in Thailand, and is set to install 3,000 Drivebot dongles as part of these partnerships.

The team plans to begin mass production by November, with shipping targeted by February 2015. The iOS app will be launched by that time, followed by the Android app in March.

The post ‘Fitbit for Cars’ Launches Crowdfunding Campaign appeared first on VR World.

Remember when NFC was cool? It still is. With the NFC-enabled BT540i Bluetooth headphones from KOSS, you can easily pair to a compatible device and enjoy surprisingly sweet sound quality with just a tap.

The BT540i is the latest in KOSS Corporation’s (KOSS) expansion of their “mobile” products line. Since 2012’s CES Show, KOSS has introduced many full-size, in-ear, and sport models that incorporate mobile device functionality, like many other consumer audio companies.

This circumaural Bluetooth model utilizes updated componentry and touts exceptional sound quality, while being very simple to use.

Here’s what you need to know:

That was quick

With our NFC-ready Google Nexus 5 (LG), unboxing literally look less than a minute.

Also included are a micro-USB charging cable, 4-foot 3.5mm cable for corded listening, warranty card, and instructions in both English & Russian (for some reason), all inside of a stylish soft-shell case.

After turning on the BT540i and tapping my phone to the right earcup’s edge, the Nexus 5 immediately enabled Bluetooth and synced up. No diving into menus, scanning and pairing – Done.

With products like our iPad Mini, which doesn’t support NFC, we had to traditionally enable the iPad’s radio, turn the headphones into “discovery” mode (sliding the power button for 4 seconds), and sync the BT540i once it shows up on iOS.

Function over form

With it’s high-density plastic supported by an aluminum frame, fully rotating/folding ear cups, soft foam leather cushioning, and clothed headband, the BT540i delivers the core elements most important to listeners. Weighing in at 8.2 oz, they’re not as light as a pair of Bose Soundlinks but definitely less straining than what’s offered from other consumer models.

The headband and cups are snug enough to offer good passive isolation, while soft enough for long hours of wear. The cups create a solid seal around our ears, and there is very little bleed that could disturb people nearby, even in quiet environments. Because the hinges and cups can rotate on multiple axis, the BT540i can accommodate for any head shape.

All of the controls are ergonomically placed on right ear cup, with the volume, transport, and power keys logically ordered around the rim. The buttons are easy to press, with audible feedback either from the headphones or from your mobile device’s OS. Flipping the power switch illuminates an LED indicator light that shows sync status and battery level.

Using the same framework as their PRODJ200, these headphones are covered in matte black with metallic, grooved barrel hinges and KOSS emblems as accents. The overall design is minimalist at best, and while enthusiasts will argue that what really matters is the componentry inside (it does), at a certain point there needs to be a sense of branding.

There are many, many black headphones on the market, and Koss’ entire over-ear headphone line pretty much stays within this box. Why not add a small trim of color? Bring back the subtle blue tones of the PortaPro, which till this day is the pair that most consumers associate with the brand.

Better components = better sound

To better illustrate the technology encased inside the BT540i, check out this quick video:

Koss introduced their new PLX40 driver elements inside, producing a slightly colored profile across it’s 100 dB SPL & 38-Ohm circuitry. Because of an overall improvement in power efficiency, there is little to no noticeable noise floor in both Bluetooth and hardwired modes.

The main reason why they chose to use the PRODJ200 frame is because it allowed enough space to fit the wireless and battery components inside, without having to compromise driver size. The diameter of a driver element is a crucial for natural signal reproduction, and anything smaller than 40mm usually results in a more colored profile to compensate.

Listening to an uncompressed source via the 3.5mm connector does reveal a slight boost in the lower frequency bands, however this bump is potentially beneficial for information loss during Bluetooth encoding/decoding. Regardless, what you hear is a smoothed out listening experience for enjoying music on the go, no matter how you connect.

Jazz. Classical. Alternative Rock. Metal. Electronic/Pop…

Every genre had a consistently pleasing listening experience across all of our devices, both over Bluetooth and corded listening. Because the BT540i seems to have a relatively flat frequency response, it has enough headroom for those who want to EQ their experience device-end.

Unplugged

For cord-free listening, these phones utilize an aptX codec over Bluetooth 3.0, which is a solid wireless delivery format. With most current devices moving onto Bluetooth’s 4.0, it’s surprising that headphones haven’t moved onto this SoC by now, which is not only more power-efficient, but has lower production costs too.

According to our recent interview with Koss, the advantages are too slim for audio products, so they stuck to the current high-quality standard.

The internal battery is advertised to last 8 hours, but we’ve consistently tested it to be closer to 6.5 hours of continuous listening time at moderate, comfortable volumes. That’s not bad, considering you may only need to charge 2-3 times a week to handle your daily commute.

Charging the BT540i isn’t quick, but isn’t slow either. From an empty tank, these stereophones are ready to go in about 90-120 minutes via a micro-USB connector. Trying AC adapters (not included) of different outputs makes little difference for charging speed and holding life, but for headphones you should stick to a plug of 1A or less for longevity.

On the move

Like many of its competitors, Koss is aiming its sights on mobile devices. So how does the BT540i perform on current mobile platforms?

Android 4.4 (KitKat) – On the Nexus 5, long pressing on the play/select button only activates a call-only voice dialer on stock Android. While this may differ on Samsung or HTC builds, it would be nice if this could engage a Google Now prompt for more robust hands-free control.

The noise-cancelling mics seem aggressively tuned, so we’ve found the need to speak at higher than normal volumes during calls so that our speech wasn’t garbled or phased out – this was the same on any OS.

Pressing the play button immediately starts your last track played track on Google Play Music. Apps like Spotify can override this, which is how I jumped from an NFC tap straight into my music in seconds. Transport and volume controls are free from quirks.

iOS 7/8 – On any current iOS device, long pressing the play button starts a Siri prompt, which listens for a multitude of actions that is always growing and adapting. Pressing the play button once starts iTunes, and all transport/volume controls are fine.

While the iPhone 6 does have a NFC chip, it’s currently designed only for the Apple Pay system, which is a shame since Apple has locked itself out of a world of simple device compatibility.

Windows 8 Mobile – For some reason, we had a difficult time pairing the BT540i with a Surface Pro. Both devices recognize each other, being a standard Bluetooth connection, yet they refused to pair every time. At the time of this review, we didn’t have another W8 device to try, so hopefully this is an isolated issue.

Koss moves forward

Last week, we interviewed Michael J Koss, CEO & President of Koss Corp, about these stereophones and how the company plans will stay fresh for music lovers for the years ahead.

Even though Koss adapted to current market trends for consumer audio, the BT540i would have made a better smash hit if it debuted a year before. As overseas production increased over the past couple years, the rise in availability of low-cost consumer headphones have skyrocketed too.

The BT540i is well built, acoustically pleasing, and very simple to use – especially at its price point of $199 MSRP. If there’s anything negative to say, it’s the fact that Koss should have released it sooner.

Overall, we’re very pleased with this pair, and will continue to be an everyday carry for some of our editors. The BT540i is a good indication of where Koss is heading, but they’ll need to continuously stay with or ahead of the curve, no matter how dedicated their loyal fans have been over the decades.

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No, Blackberry isn’t dead yet, and it’s coming out with what might be one of their most audacious products to date: the Blackberry Passport — which looks a lot like Blackberry’s Porsche Design P’9981. However, the Passport has a few really interesting features that make it a better phone than the Blackberry phones of yesteryear. This phone is being launched at first in the US and Canada.

First and foremost, it has fairly up to date hardware, sporting a 4.5″ perfectly square display at 1440 x 1440 resolution. This is a fairly high resolution display for Blackberry and admittedly a very odd aspect ratio when compared to most other devices on the market.

However, for doing things like reading emails and webpages, it isn’t necessarily a bad resolution or size. Blackberry has also given the phone a fairly ample 13 Megapixel camera, which from our experience was fairly high quality and responsive. Blackberry has also placed a standard 2 MP front-facing camera which should allow for decent ‘selfies’ and 720P video conferencing. It will also run a 2-gens-ago Snapdragon 800 SoC, once again indicating Blackberry’s absolute disconnect with performance hardware and being up to date with people’s demands. However, the Snapdragon 800 is really a very good SoC and the Snapdragon 801 really isn’t much of a departure from it. In fact, it may actually help Blackberry make more money since it is technically an older chip. The Nexus 5 runs a Snapdragon 800 SoC, but that phone sells for $349 and has been selling for that much since October 31st, 2013, almost a year ago.

It does have 3GB of RAM, which is a very smart move on Blackberry’s part because it allows for real business multitasking and for users not to worry about what they have open when getting things done on their Passport. Blackberry also opted for additional microSD storage (up to 64GB) on top of the already installed 32GB of internal storage, bringing thise phone’s maximum storage capacity up to 96GB. In addition to the enormous storage capacity both internally and removable, the company also went for an enormous 3,450 mAh battery, one of the biggest batteries of any phone, ever.

This enormous battery is very likely why the phone is so widely shaped and why Blackberry’s CEO claims that this device can get 36 hours of battery life, which I would not dispute with its current hardware specs. It will also come with Blackberry’s latest version of the Blackberry 10 OS with Blackberry OS 10.3, which debuts on this device.

Overall, the look and feel of this phone is going to be a bit jarring to most, but it can be confirmed that it fits in a shirt pocket as well as a regular front pants pocket fairly easily. It does stick out a bit of a shirt pocket, but overall it looks much bigger and more cumbersome than it actually is. And with a lot of people growing tired of short battery life on devices, Blackberry may actually have found a niche for themselves (which Sony is also looking to exploit with the Xperia Z3).

Under the hood, the Blackberry Passport also has some interesting features, like the entire keyboard also doubles as a capacitive touch sensor for scrolling on websites when you have the phone turned on its side. There’s also Blackberry Blend, which is yet another innovative product from Blackberry which allows you to effectively use your other Windows, Android and iOS devices to send text messages and other data sharing from the Blackberry phone without needing to actually be near it.  This way people can unify all of their emails, text messages, BBMs, and calendars across all devices using the same platform, regardless of what platform they’re on. Blackberry has figured out a way to make themselves the core “business” device, and that’s a great idea. It will just be a matter of whether or not they can keep their competitors at bay while they attempt to recreate the same idea.

Also, yes, this phone is wide. Very wide. It is significantly wider than LG’s G3, which has a 5.5″ screen and keep in mind that the Blackberry Passport has a 4.5″ screen and is still wider.

The Blackberry Passport next to a Verizon LG G3

Clearly Blackberry isn’t dead yet, and the company is trying to put up quite a fight. While it isn’t clear whether or not the Passport is the right phone for that, Blackberry clearly has some very good idea and now it just needs to keep executing on those ideas and make a phone that isn’t as jarring as the Passport that can address a more broad market. The phone will sell for $199 on contract and $599 off-contract for those looking to not get roped into a two-year contract.

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Ever wonder what people in other countries are paying for their shiny new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 pluses? Well, we’ve decided to look into the current Apple  listed prices for officially launched (or about to launch) countries in Europe, Asia and North America.

Last time we looked at iPhone prices was with the iPhone 5S and by that point there were already dozens of countries launched. So, this time it was decided to start from the beginning and to continue to follow the market as it moves forward. There have already been reports of iPhones selling for over $1,500 in some markets, but the majority of those are grey market iPhones and can effectively be sold at any price that someone is willing to pay. Those prices do not officially reflect Apple’s own pricing or MSRP that they recommend to carriers.  Even so, there are some pretty outrageously high prices coming straight from Apple’s own site.

iPhone6 Pricing

The prices as you can see above are specifically organized using Apple’s own iPhone 6 prices listed on the various regional sub-pages. The countries listed above are in order of lowest iPhone 6 Prices in blue and iPhone 6 Plus prices in orange. The iPhone 6 Plus prices actually vary from country to country with some actually costing more than in certain countries where the iPhone 6 is more expensive. This very likely has to do with how Apple structures the price differences between the two devices as well as how the local currency is converted to US dollars. All currencies have been converted to US Dollars in order to make the comparison easier for a table like the one above.

For example, the iPhone 6 is $898.49 in Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland. This is why there is a flat line in the graph, they all have their prices in Euros and have the exact same price in terms of Euros. All other countries have their prices in different currencies and some even have slightly different taxes. The difference in taxes or other external factors are why Italy and France nearly top the list for iPhone prices because they use the Euro but have higher prices than the rest of Europe. However, Turkey still wins when compared to the rest of the world (at this given moment) with an iPhone price of $1,049.20 and an iPhone 6 Plus price of $1,182.20. That’s a solid $500 more for the iPhone 6 in Turkey than in the US for the exact same product.

Some interesting surprises were that the UAE’s prices were so close to the US market’s when adjusted for currency prices and that overall APAC (Asia Pacific) pays less than Europe and South America for iPhones. Additionally, Japan surprises with the lowest prices of all the countries in the world, even the US, very likely due to the US dollar to Yen conversion rate being at its lowest in years. Some other historically expensive markets will very likely beat these iPhone 6 prices in the future, like Brazil and Jordan, but Apple is not officially selling the iPhone 6 there yet. In fact, the Foxconn factory in Brazil where the iPhone is made for the Brazilian was on strike for 5 days earlier this month and may have affected the release date and final price of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. We will revisit the iPhone 6 Prices and the iPhone 6 Plus prices as Apple rolls out the rest of the world’s markets where iPhones are wanted. Right now, there is supposedly a very large grey market for iPhone 6s in China where it can already be purchased in Hong Kong, just across the border.

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A security researcher is claiming to have found a set of services in iOS that appear to be a firmware-level backdoor in iOS devices. What’s more interesting is that Apple has, in a very non-Apple manner, responded to his claims by posting a support page about it. He claims that these are confirmations of the backdoors that he found in iOS and that Apple claims to use them for diagnostic and enterprise purposes. These backdoors can only be accessed by Apple (or anyone that has access to Apple’s services) so they’re mostly secure backdoors, but they are backdoors nonetheless. Most consumers are completely and wholly unaware that alternative pathways into their devices exist and can be exploited by ANYONE (in this case Apple) other than themselves. This is also why remote bricking and other ‘security’ features being pushed through legislatures are also a problem, but at least we’re aware of their existence unlike these services on iOS.

The services in question, om.apple.mobile.pcapd, com.apple.mobile.file_relay, com.apple.mobile.house_arrest among others have been addressed in Apple’s knowledge base article. Apple does not directly address Jonathan Zdziarski’s claims but instead tries to illuminate their use of these services and what they’re supposed to be used for. Apple claims that some of these services are used for diagnostic purposes internally as well as for iTunes and Apple Care support. However, the fact that these supposed backdoor services exist without users’ or developers’ knowledge is a bit worrisome.

The real truth here is that no matter what happens, or is really happening, customers should be aware of how intrusive some of these services are or can be. Sure, some of them are limited in scope in terms of what they can access, but even so, Apple should notify customers when they use such services or sign up for the operating system that there are services running on their devices that give Apple access to their device. Backdoor systems are not a joke and some of them are open invitations to hackers to try to hack into a backdoor and use it for their own purposes. Backdoors are inherently insecure and consumers should be made aware of them, malicious or not.

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Anyone that uses most wearable tech knows that the first generation of most wearables is generally very functional but not very aesthetically pleasing. That could be easily exemplified with Google and their Google Glass which now has nice looking frames and no longer makes people resemble cyborgs. Google worked with DvF or Diane Von Furstenberg to improve the overall aesthetics of their wearable technology and it really does help a lot. So, it seems as no surprise that another ‘bland’ looking product like the Fitbit, which is still popular, would get the designer treatment as well. So, here is Tory Burch for Fitbit with a new designer Fitbit Bracelet, Necklace and fitbit ‘sleeves’ for your standard Fitbit.

The above is a metal hinged bracelet by Tory Burch which retails for $195.00, Below is a fret pendant (necklace) that is also by Tory Burch for Fitbit.

In addition to the bracelet and necklace, Tory Burch has also created some more affordable alternatives with their own pattern. These are designed to function a lot like the current Fitbit, but they don’t look as bland and is more attractive for women looking to wear a Fitbit but don’t want to spend $200 on a pendant or bracelet. Either way, these are much more fashionable alternatives that should enable wearables to break into a market where people refuse to wear the current crop of wearables because, frankly, they’re ugly.

Tory Burch for Fitbit

As you can see, Tory Burch is helping Fitbit realize their vision of becoming a more fashionable brand, hopefully there will be more designers that Fitbit will work with in the future, because as it stands right now Tory Burch is a women’s only brand. And while that is good as a start, there are still a lot of Fitbit wearers that are men and I’m sure many of them wouldn’t mind a more fashionable wearable device than the piece of rubber and plastic on their wrist.

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Yesterday, Apple and IBM announced that they would be entering into a partnership where IBM would help Apple develop enterprise software for iOS devices and Apple would supply OS and hardware to enable those enterprise applications. This announcement marked the first partnership or relationship between the two companies since Apple stopped using IBM’s Power PC CPUs in their systems in 2006 with the last product announced in 2005. It’s been a long time since the two companies have worked together on anything and now that IBM is mostly a software company (They still have the Power Architecture and Power Chips for HPC) it makes sense that the two companies would work together again.

IBM’s enterprise software and cloud offerings are some of the most developed on the market and squarely focused on the needs of large enterprises, which already have millions of iOS devices in deployment. Apple will be supplying the devices for IBM’s planned iOS-based enterprise software platforms which will boost Apple’s enterprise sales even better than they already have them. It will also give Apple a very strong foothold inside the enterprise that none of their competitors are anywhere near having. It should also provide Apple enough enterprise sales to become even more of a fixture in enterprise applications than they already are. Apple is not struggling in enterprise, they don’t NEED IBM, however IBM does need some sort of a hardware partner. And if you’re going to look for a hardware partner, you might as well go for the biggest one and the one with the most enterprise deployments already.

As a result, IBM gets some sort of hardware platform to build their enterprise applications platform and Apple gets to sell more iPhones and increase iOS’ penetration in the overall market. This marks Apple’s first serious movement into enterprise, even though they already have a pretty strong presence in most enterprises because of their consumer product success. While I don’t suspect that Apple will do anything different to iPhones deployed with IBM software, there is a good chance that we could see ‘pro’ or ‘enterprise’ hardware in the future that might command an even greater price premium than Apple’s current line of consumer products. Enterprise customers want to feel special and feel like they’re getting what they pay for, which is why IBM has committed upwards of 100,000 employees to be available to the Apple project.

Overall, this is a very good move for both companies and I would suspect that this is only the beginning of such relationships between software and hardware companies. After all, Apple has seriously been struggling recently to deploy software that is popular with consumers and enterprise outside of their operating systems on their own hardware. With IBM’s enterprise software, Apple partially solves part of that equation and IBM is able to provide quality and reliable hardware to their enterprise customers that they’re already familiar with.

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While this may not be a big deal to some, avid and constant users of Twitter can rejoice today because the platform finally supports GIFs. Google’s own Google+ social network was actually the first of the big three to support GIFs and Facebook’s own Facebook chat that is built into the Facebook desktop client also supports GIFs. However, Facebook has not brought GIF support to any other platform or any other part of Facebook, including the most important part, the Timeline.

You can test it out yourself by simply posting a tweet with a GIF that you’ve uploaded and anyone that wishes to see it simply has to hit play and the GIF will play. Obviously, it would be nice for there to be an option for them to autoplay somewhere on Twitter, but I suspect that would cause undo burden on Twitter’s servers when it may not be necessary. Even the Twitter mobile apps support GIF images, which goes well beyond anything Facebook has been able to do in terms of features. The real truth is that GIF images are popular little snippets of video and people love to communicate things with them because of their ease of use and brevity. The next step for Twitter would be to extract GIFs from links and display them that way, since actually saving a GIF and uploading it is going to be a very unlikely use case.

We won’t get into the whole “GIF vs JIF” pronunciation of the GIF image format, but we will let you guys check it out for yourselves, including some amusing tweets about the feature launch from some Twitter employees that were involved in its development. Like we said, sometimes humor is best conveyed through short snippets of video overlayed with a slight bit of text. So, go ahead and have some fun with Twitter GIFs, even if they need a bit of work.

The post Twitter Now Supports GIFs, Facebook Still Struggling to Do So appeared first on VR World.

We don’t normally post iPhone rumors unless they’re incredibly well substantiated and this one appears to be pretty legitimate. While the source of the rumor may be one that seems a bit off-kilter, this person who we are referring to has actually proven themselves in the past to be able to get legitimate iPhone hardware ahead of the launch.

Some images from MacFixit.AU that show the new iPhone 6

There have been countless rumors and leaks and all of the Mac and Apple fan sites will flood you with basically anything they can in order to ensure you click on it. Most of what we’ve seen online as of late has all culminated in Apple launching a larger iPhone. This addresses one of the biggest problems that people have had with the iPhone stating that it is simply too small for most people, causing many to go in search of Android devices with bigger screens. And most of the Android manufacturers have satisfied these needs by launching 5″, 5.5″ and 6″ phones (if you can call them phones past 5″). However, there are still a lot of people that like the small size of the iPhone and how comfortably it fits in their hands (especially if they have smaller hands). So, there is a very strong belief that the iPhone 6 will come in two sizes, one to satisfy the people wanting a bigger screen and another to keep the small phone people happy. There haven’t actually been any rumors that fully substantiate this possibility yet, but it would be a sound business decision on Apple’s part. Almost all of the leaked photos and videos about the new iPhone 6 basically show the newer larger design, which frankly bears a striking resemblance to the HTC One and HTC One M8 both of which we reviewed. Now, there have been a lot of leaks, like we stated earlier but not many of them had a confirming or solid source to verify the look or design, until now. A Taiwanese actor, famous for having shown himself with an iPhone 5C well in advance of the phone’s launch has once again posed with a new Apple iPhone, but this time it’s the iPhone 6 and he’s got it in hand next to an iPhone 5S. Thanks to the website SteveNotes.hk, we’ve got images of Jimmy Lin with the new iPhone 6 along with the iPhone 5S next to it for size.

As you can see from the Weibo image above, the new iPhone 6 (or whatever it’ll be called) is a larger phone than the iPhone 5S and has much more rounded edges which should make it feel much more comfortable in the hand than the somewhat sharp iPhone 5/S. There are also multiple sources claiming that this phone will have a 2K (2560 x 1440 ish) display, even though I’m not sure that this phone is large enough or there is a display small enough to fit in an iPhone and deliver that resolution. Keep in mind that the current iPhone 5S is 1136 x 640 resolution on a 4″ display and a 2K resolution would be more than quadrupling that in terms of pixels if they were to go 2K. The likelihood for that happening is VERY VERY low, so more realistically, we’ll finally see Apple move towards a more standard resolution like 1920 x 1080 or pretty close to it since Apple decided to stay away from 720P with their 1136 x 640 resolution on the iPhone 5.

The expected timeframe for this phone is still fall of this year, likely with a September announcement and an October or late September launch (like last year).

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